IFFLA Schedule Arrives With The Best Of A Great Year In Indian Cinema

It is rare that I wish I lived in Los Angeles, but this year's Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is making a good case for the city of angels. A few days ago we announced the opening and closing night features of IFFLA, and now we have the whole schedule to share. And It is damned impressive.

In addition to Gangs of Wasseypur and Midnight's Children, the IFFLA has rounded up some of the biggest critical and commercial hits of India's fantastic 2012, as well as a trio of classic films that I wish I could see on the big screen. The highlights for me are Ashim Ahluwalia's Miss Lovely, Vasan Bala's Peddlers (which I hope to finally be able to see and review), and my favorite film of 2012, SS Rajamouli's Eega (playing here in it's Malayalam dubbed form as EECHA). The rest of the line up brings festival hits from Cannes, TIFF, and beyond, including Shahid, Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Filmistan, and Celluloid Man.

You can find the full line up as well as further information about IFFLA in the links below.

THE 11th ANNUAL
INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES FILM LINE-UP

Highlights include Mira Nair's THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST,as well as MISS LOVELY, PEDDLERS, SHAHID, and SALMA

LOS
ANGELES, CA (March 7, 2013) - Today, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA)
proudly announced its 2013 lineup of narrative and documentary features and
short films for this year's festival.The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema,
which is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, as well as the
future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers bringing their
acclaimed films to Los Angeles.

Highlights
include: a special screening of Mira Nair's THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, a
political thriller based on the New York
Times bestseller with a star-studded cast; MISS LOVELY by Ashim Ahluwalia,
a dark look at the seedy underbelly of
Bollywood C-movies and soft-porn during the 1980's, that premiered in Un Certain Regard at
Cannes last year; PEDDLERS, Vasan Bala's directorial debut, which premiered at the 2012 International Critics' Week, a
crime thriller following the desperation of young drug runners who are merely
looking to survive; SHAHID,
based on the true story of
Shahid Azmi, a human rights activist murdered in India in 2010, directed by Hansal Mehta and produced
by Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap; and Sundance and Berlin favorite SALMA, directed
by Kim Longinotto,
a documentary about one
South Indian woman's courageous journey in the face of mass oppression.

The
opening and closing night red-carpet galas were announced last week: Anurag
Kashyap's GANGS OF WASSEYPUR will open the festival, while Deepa Mehta's
MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN will feature as the closing night film.

The
festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian
cinema globally. Celebrating its 11th
year, IFFLA will run April 9 to 14 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the
festival's home since its inception.

"Our
slate of films this year showcases path-breaking works of emerging and
established Indian filmmakers that are making waves at top-tier film festivals
around the world," said ChristinaMarouda, IFFLA's Founder and Chair of the Board."This is a rare opportunity for Los Angeles
audiences to not only catch films that are very hard to find outside the film-festival
circuit, but also to engage with these talented filmmakers who are coming to
Los Angeles to present their films. In fact, IFFLA has something for everyone -
from cutting-edge films to Bollywood flair and thought-provoking documentaries,
it is a unique, vibrant celebration of Indian cinema right in the heart of
Hollywood."

Attending
the festival this year to present their films will be a host of celebrated filmmakers,
including Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Hansal Mehta,
Vasan Bala, Nitin Kakkar, and S.S. Rajamouli among others.

Other
titles of note include a documentary about India's obsession with cricket
called BEYOND ALL BOUNDARIES, which will have its world premiere at the
festival, and the Malayalam extravaganza EECHA, a delightful tale of love,
rebirth, and revenge with dazzling special effects.

Two
films at the festival this year celebrate the power of Indian cinema: CELLULOID
MAN, a documentary about beloved Indian film expert and archivist P.K. Nair, and
the charming FILMISTAN, the fictional tale of one man's love of Hindi films and
how cinema has the power to unite us all.

The
festival's popular Bollywood by Night
series returns this year with three films by legendary director, writer,
producer, and Hindi
cinema's 'king of romance,' Yash
Chopra.: KABHI KABHIE (1976), SILSILA (1981), and CHANDNI (1989).

EECHA flies into our hearts
and proves that with true love, even the most unlikely of heroes can conquer
any adversity, no matter how large - or in this case, how small.
Malayalam with English subtitles

FILMISTAN is Nitin Kakkar's
feature-length directorial debut, and has won hearts across the globe at
festivals like MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Gothenburg Film Festival, Jaipur
International Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of Kerala.
Hindi with English subtitles

The story of two brothers
immersed in the seedy underbelly of Bollywood C-movies and soft-porn during the
1980's. MISS LOVELY made its world premiere in competition in the Un Certain
Regard at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.Hindi
with English subtitles

PEDDLERS,
debuting at the 2012 International Critics' Week, which runs parallel to the
Cannes Film Festival, is a crime thriller following the desperation of young
drug runners who are merely looking to survive.Hindi with English
subtitles

Based on
the best-selling novel by Mohsin Hamid, THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST is a riveting thriller about
the story of Changez, a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall
Street in the era of globalisation.
English

Shot in
secrecy, SHAHID is based on true events and the life of Shahid Azmi, a defense
lawyer and human rights activist who was murdered in 2010 at the age of 32, in
retribution for his defense of a man accused in the Mumbai terror attacks.
Hindi with English subtitles

Meet Maya: a 42 year-old from Chennai, India, who goes through a life-changing
sexual- reassignment surgery.English

SALMALos
Angeles PremiereUSA / 2012 / 91min
Director: Kim Longinotto

Master
documentarian Kim Longinotto returns to IFFLA with her latest compelling work,
SALMA, the extraordinary story of one South Indian woman's courageous journey
in the face of mass oppressionHindi with English
subtitles

KABHI KABHIE remains one of Hindi cinema's most beloved films.
Sweeping several awards, it began a definitive tradition of romance in Hindi
cinema, which Mr. Chopra mastered to perfection and his fans came to love.
Hindi with English subtitles

A melodrama in the best sense of the word, SILSILA is stunningly shot in
spectacular locations. It is remembered both for its pairing of Amitabh and
Rekha and its evocative poetry. A must-see for lovers of mainstream Bollywood
cinema.
Hindi with English subtitles

Shot in
beautiful locations in Switzerland, the CHANDNI was a turning point for
Chopra and established him as the successful commercial director of the 1980s.
Sridevi was to become the star of the decade and the film launched what was to
become Bollywood's signature style: a musical genre combined with an ensemble
cast. CHANDNI must be seen on full screen in order to appreciate Chopra's
signature elements: stunning sets, costumes, colorful landscapes all mingled
with a star cast.
Hindi with English subtitles

Fed up with his wife's lack of sanitary
menstrual hygiene, a poor villager takes matters into his own hands, and
unexpectedly starts a small revolution resulting in a million jobs for rural
women.
Tamil with English subtitles